Content strategist/PR advisor Sally Farhat Kassab spent a large chunk of her career working in magazines as the editor of Seattle Bride and an assistant editor at Parents. When Kristi Dosh isn’t helping to establish entrepreneurs and nonfiction authors, she’s a freelance writer contributing to a variety of publications, including Forbes and POPSUGAR. Elena Mauer is a freelance editor and writer, with a background in editing at both magazines and digital publications. Her work has been published in Parents, Bridal Guide, Self and The Knot

What sets magazines apart

Familiarizing yourself with the nitty-gritty of magazines is essential before even thinking about sending a pitch.

Magazines have a language of their own. For example, you might hear PR pros and journalists use the phrase FOB or “front-of-the-book.” This refers to many of the shorter sections that you might find in a magazine like the table of contents, masthead, letter from the editor and brief one-page topics. The FOB is very different than what you might find throughout the rest of the magazine and likely even has its own editor to pitch.

“The majority of pitches I received were off-target,” shares Kassab. “A lot of the time people would send pitches to the editor-in-chief without knowing they’d have a much higher chance if they would’ve sent it to the right person